The 7th Guardian
by AkariHoshino
Summary: Years after what happened in the manga, Tsunayoshi Sawada became the official boss of Vongola but under his governance, the family started to fall into ruins because of an unknown enemy. Only then did they find out that there had always been an eighth ring of Vongola waiting to be worn by the seventh guardian.
1. Target 1

"Akari!"

I looked back to see Riko, a classmate of mine, running towards my direction. I stopped walking and gave him a look of annoyance. "What is it?"

"Umm... Are you heading home now?"

It took all my willpower not to roll my eyes in front of him. Riko had a silly crush on me ever since third grade, when I gave him my half eaten chocolate ice cream in a cone because I found him crying on the street after the kids from a higher grade bullied him. Ever since then, he started bugging me every single day, taking the extra mile to follow me to high school. We're now both in our senior year. "It's after classes, so obviously I am."

His face went red, as the answer I gave him sounded so rude. I was itching to get home and start watching the new anime I'd been engrossed in. Though I would be such a liar to say that I couldn't care less even though I felt a twinge of regret for being hostile, I wouldn't admit that. "Yeah... I-I know. But, umm... Do you want to go to the CD store in town? I've heard they have a ton of new movies and they're on sale today. 25% off! Isn't that awesome?"

Exasperated, I sighed. "Sorry, but I'm not interested. Go ask someone else," and I turned my back on him to start walking.

"But, Akari!"

I didn't mind him and kept walking. My new anime was waiting for me.

Riko was good looking, I'd give him that, with his black hair and blue eyes that made him look like the epitome of Rin Okumura, but I just wasn't interested. I wasn't into real people. I was only devoted to anime or manga characters since I knew they would not hurt me or disappoint or any horrible thing that a living person might do to their kin. I didn't have any friends at all, as I was completely afraid deep in my heart to make any commitments with anybody, though I would never admit that to anyone. Sometimes I even have trouble admitting that to myself but it gets really lonely most of the time.

I kept walking along Third Street of our lovely little town with my headphones on, listening to Remember, an opening song of Naruto, when suddenly a purplish thick tube about a meter long came flying down to me from the sky. My heart skipped a beat as I recalled a distant memory from one of the animes I'd watched before. Something like that thing flew in that anime all the time.

During the three seconds I was given to wonder about that, I wasn't even able to put a finger to what anime it was or why I was even comparing it with that.

The mouth of the tube was only inches away from the top of my head, my eyes widened in shock, and a second after, I realized I was eaten by the flying tube without wings.

When I opened my eyes, I was surrounded with multiple blinding colors that were changing from time to time. The feeling was like being inside of a spinning kaleidoscope. My body felt so light and it was making me so dizzy I couldn't even focus to just one color.

I closed my eyes, hoping that it was all just a dream and I was only hit by a car or something. But I knew I wasn't.

After what seemed like forever, though probably it was just not even ten seconds, the world stopped spinning and I felt myself sitting on a solid ground. Carefully I let my hands feel my surroundings first. The ground felt wet and it felt like I was touching small leaves. After slowly opening my eyes, my breath was taken away.

I was sitting alone on luscious green grass of a very huge garden filled with all kinds of flowers you could name-roses, tulips, daisies. It even had a huge fountain with a clam-which was weird because really, a clam?-at the center of it, spewing clear water which made me so thirsty. The sky was showcasing a very beautiful sunset.

I looked around me but the garden seemed to be empty aside from a very big structure behind me, which eerily seemed like a really old castle, and there was nobody else aside from myself. Instantly, I got nervous. I was in the middle of a very unknown place and I didn't know how I would be going home.

Slowly I stood up with shaking knees and forced myself to contemplate what had just happened. I whipped my body around to feel the place and I had a frightening feeling that I was already in a different country.

A sleek black car which looked really expensive slowly rolled to a stop on the driveway a good hundred meters away from where I was standing. The driver's side door opened and a middle aged man in a black suit stepped out. A second after he got out, the door of the shotgun seat opened as well and a tall man with silver hair that barely touched his shoulders stepped out as well.

He looked like someone I completely knew from the bottom of my heart...

I held my breath and my heart started hammering against the inside of my ribcage.

The driver walked to the door of the back seat, presumably to open it for the surely important person sitting there. But before I could catch a glimpse of that important person, somebody from my right spoke and my bones froze from the shock.

"Huh? Who are you, miss?"

Slowly I turned around to face the owner of that voice and I almost fainted. Standing there behind me was another tall man in a black suit like the other two men and had a very athletic physique with cropped black hair and a surprised yet puzzled look in his chocolate brown eyes.

 _Takeshi Yamamoto..._

All of a sudden I forgot the language I'd known since I learned how to speak. I didn't even hear his footsteps or anything.

Yamamoto looked at me as if I was another new game that he needed to get good with. He looked that interested. "You're a Japanese? A Japanese student?"

"No-I-I mean, yes, but..."

"Perhaps you're a tourist?" Yamamoto guessed and laughed in the usual way he did in the anime. "Did you get lost?"

"I... I..." The lump in my throat seemed to have gotten bigger than it was just a minute ago.

 _Is this really happening? Am I really speaking with Takeshi Yamamoto? An anime character? I must have gone crazy!_

"It's fine," Yamamoto smiled kindly. "But you have to leave fast, miss. This is quite a dangerous place for a young girl like you."

"Yakyū baka!"

"Oh?" Yamamoto looked at the owner of the voice from behind me, and I was completely sure his attention was taken by that man who came out from the shotgun ride of the black car. "You're finally here, Gokudera! Where's Tsuna?"

That was my cue. I ran as fast as I could without looking back. I even heard Yamamoto calling out, "Hey, wait!" but I ignored him and continued running.

 _This is a joke. I'm just dreaming._

Taking my chances, I looked back over my shoulder to where Yamamoto was and I was frightened with the look in his eyes. He was not the usual easy-going and clueless Yamamoto in the anime anymore. It was those look in his eyes that he got whenever he was facing an enemy. Only later did I know that he was wondering what kind of presence I had. It was neither hostile nor friendly. It was something else.

I ran and ran thinking if I closed my eyes hard and opened them, I would be back to my lovely room. That hope was shattered when I bumped into a wall after running with no particular destination for probably a hundred meters.

 _Obaa-chan will surely scold me when she sees this bump on my head._

"Ouch..." I cried and slowly opened my eyes. I was looking down and was still stepping on green grass so I knew I was still in that huge garden. I was expecting to see the solid wall I surely bumped into but what I saw were a pair of legs. It was of a man's, I was sure of it, wearing the same black suit as everyone I'd seen so far had. I had to gulp the lump that formed once again in my throat before gathering enough courage to look up.

My eyes were met by his blue ones which were glaring down at me. I barely reached his shoulders and even in that situation, which I thought was just a dream at first, I was completely intimidated by the man towering over me.

"Who are you?" Kyoya Hibari asked in that deep voice of his. He looked exactly like he was ten years into the future from the anime. Well, Yamamoto and Gokudera were the same anyway. Hibari was wearing a purple button down under his black coat, Yamamoto was wearing a dark blue one and Gokudera had been wearing a red one.

"So-Sorry, I..."

"Hey, Hibari!" a booming voice called from behind Hibari. "You haven't agreed to drink with me after this meeting yet!"

Despite the tallness of Hibari, I tried to see who it was and confirming my hunch, it was indeed Ryohei Sasagawa, running towards where we were. He was also wearing a suit and under his black coat he was wearing a dark yellow button down. Of course both of his hands were covered in bandages, though as I had always been, I was wondering if he really had wounds all the time.

"Huh? Who is this girl, Hibari? Your younger sister?" Ryohei wondered cluelessly when he reached us. "You never told us you have one!"

Hibari glared at Ryohei. "This girl is not my sister," then he turned his glaring eyes back at me. "And I will never drink with you."

I had to gulp because I thought he was going to say, _"I'll bite you to death."_

"What? You're always so uptight to the extreme!" Ryohei argued. His voice was really loud.

"There you are!"

All three of us looked behind me and we saw Yamamoto and Gokudera wearing the usual frown on his face. He looked so regal with those green eyes and silver hair and, yes, he was really handsome. He'd been one of my anime crushes when I was a thirteen year old girl.

 _Wait. They are anime characters! Why am I even talking to them?_

"Oh," Hibari smiled maliciously. "The little runts have finally arrived."

"Who is this girl? Is she the spy that those bastards sent to eliminate the Tenth?" Gokudera asked and his voice was laced with accusation. I thought I should be used to it but I still got offended. I hadn't done anything wrong. And I would never do anything to harm the boss!

 _Oh, wait. Okay, the tenth boss of Vongola from the anime is my ultimate anime crush. But how can I harm an anime character?_

"Huh? She's not the spy, Gokudera," Yamamoto said, looking back and forth between me and Gokudera who maintained his glare at me. "She's just a tourist who got lost. Right, miss?"

 _Tourist? Yamamoto really thinks that I'm a tourist. This dream is so real._

"Did she think that the castle is an extreme tourist spot?" Ryohei wondered cluelessly.

"Stupid muscle head," Gokudera hissed at Ryohei.

"Who are you calling stupid, Tako he-do?!" Ryohei argued.

Hibari turned his back on us, I was completely sure he was getting annoyed, but stopped in his tracks when we heard a distinct laugh.

"Kufufufu."

I know that laugh!

Out of the indigo colored mist, Mukuro Rokudo suddenly emerged holding an unconscious man by the collar of his shirt and his trident on his other hand. He was wearing a white shirt with a black tie and over it was a long black coat, paired with black jeans and a black pair of boots. "You are all wrong."

Hibari suddenly tensed. I knew all too well that he was getting ready to charge any moment at Mukuro.

"Who is that cheeky looking man?" Ryohei asked.

"The spy that you are all looking for," Mukuro was smiling maliciously, but unlike Hibari, there was something darker about his smile.

"The spy?" Yamamoto asked.

"Why did you bite my prey?" Hibari asked in annoyance.

"Kufufu. Finders keepers, Kyoya Hibari," Mukuro sounded like he was really provoking Hibari.

Suddenly, I was forgotten. I should have just taken that chance to run away and find some other way to go back home but for some reason, I had the urge to listen to what they were talking about. I knew it didn't concern me but even if I tried to run, I was surrounded by these guardians. I would be easily caught, considering I am not really a fast runner.

"You bastard!" Gokudera hissed. "How dare you make Judaime worry so much?! What did you do to Chrome Dokuro?!"

Mukuro just smiled and closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them, his right eye who had always been red suspiciously turned brighter than it had been when he showed himself. "You fools don't have to understand."

"What?!" Gokudera touched the Vongola ring on the middle finger of his right hand, like he was ready to light it up with his Storm Flame at any given moment. "What is your purpose for taking care of that spy? What business do you have with us?"

"Now, now. Calm down, Gokudera," Yamamoto stood in between the furious Gokudera and the awfully calm Mukuro, trying to force a convincing smile to stop the ruckus that was surely about to come. "He's also a guardian of Tsuna, so there's no helping it," then Yamamoto faced Mukuro and his face suddenly turned a lot more serious like he was a totally different person. "What are you planning, Mukuro?"

"It's simple, Takeshi Yamamoto," Mukuro showed his vicious smile to us once again. "Nobody shall kill Tsunayoshi Sawada not until I possess his body."

"Bastard!" Gokudera snarled and was about to charge at Mukuro but Ryohei held him back.

"Hold it there, Tako he-do! Sawada won't extremely like to see us fighting with a fellow guardian!" Ryohei said, holding Gokudera on both arms. It was so unlike him to be a referree but maybe people, I mean anime characters, do really change after some time.

 _But this is still a fantastic dream! To be able to interact with the characters from my favorite anime is the best!_

"Let go of me, Shibafu!" Gokudera tried to resist but Ryohei's grip was strong.

"I don't care if you have a plan or not. I will bite you to death right here and now," Hibari interfered and all of a sudden, his tonfas appeared. It wasn't a magic trick as I saw that he was hiding his weapon inside the sleeves of his suit.

"Kufufufu. I have no intention of fighting you today, Kyoya Hibari," then Mukuro vanished into indigo mist just as Hibari pounced at him, making Hibari slash with his tonfa into the mist.

The spy that Mukuro killed was left lying lifeless on the ground. I pitied the man as his life was thrown away just like that but I couldn't sympathize him that greatly as he tried to kill the tenth boss of Vongola. That was just so wrong.

We were all shocked when Mukuro appeared again, still surrounded by his mist, a few good meters away from Gokudera's back, the opposite direction where he'd been at less than a minute ago. "Chrome is not the Elena of this generation."

"Who the hell are you talking about?!" Gokudera snapped.

"Elena?" Yamamoto wondered. "Sounds pretty familiar. Hmm..."

"I extremely don't know any Elena," Ryohei butted in.

"Hmp," that was Hibari.

"Kufufufu. You should all be keeping an eye on that girl, Akari Hoshino."

Everyone's eyes turned to me, suddenly remembering that I was still there. What the hell did I do?

"Umm... H-Hi?" I didn't really know what to say. I was too scared to act normally and I was still not believing what was happening. How did Mukuro even know my name?!

"Kufufufu," and Mukuro vanished into the mist again.

That was it. I needed to run for my life.

I was just about to make a run for it but a voice I hadn't been really familiar with, I mean it was in the anime but just barely, spoke from a few meters away which made me freeze on my spot.

"You're finally here, Akari Hoshino."

Slowly I looked back over my shoulder to see who it was and the world stopped spinning around me.

The guy, about my age, was wearing a black fedora hat with a yellow stripe, a black suit with a yellow button down inside, and was holding a pistol.

It was adult Reborn.


	2. Target 2

The inside of the Vongola castle was magnificent in an eerie way.

Though the castle was alive with thousands of dim light emitting from thousands of bulb all over the place, there was still an uneasy vibe surrounding the area. Like that great hall of the castle had heard a million cries over a million deaths.

The floor was covered with elegant red carpetting which were trimmed with golden stripes on various random spots. There was a huge chandelier made up of very dim lights at the very center of the dome of the hall. A huge terrace was overlooking the area from the second floor but that part of the keep was very dark. I was sensing that somebody was watching us from up there, though how I could tell that, I wouldn't ever know.

Yamamoto was very nice to tell me what that part of the castle was called, hence why I knew it was called the great hall of the keep. Gokudera even corrected Yamamoto as the latter initially told me it was called "the hall" and Gokudera righted him by adding the word "great" to it. That resulted to both of us being called stupid by Gokudera. I thought he changed since he was older than he was in the anime but maybe I was wrong. Yamamoto just laughed and apologized but I didn't feel any good about it.

I was brought inside by the three guardians of the family (Yamamoto, Gokudera and Ryohei since Hibari went ahead of us because, of course, he hated crowds) in Reborn's command and I felt nothing but a prisoner. Only Yamamoto made a friendly small talk with me.

At the very end of the great hall stood a huge elegant chair which I had only seen in movies where kings sat with all the power in the world. We were still far from the throne itself but I could already make out the figure of a man in a black suit sitting there with his legs crossed. His left elbow was resting atop the armrest and the side of his head was resting atop his folded knuckle. A calm orange flame was emitting from his forehead--the dying will flame. On the right armrest, an armored lion cub was quietly sleeping with the same orange flame emitting from around its head and tail. The man sitting on the throne was giving its pet a light caress on the back with his gloved hand. He was regarding us with so much calmness that I almost didn't recognize him.

 _So that's how he looks ten years into the future..._

Standing beside him, on his left, was Reborn who already had his pistol kept somewhere beneath his suit. His hands were tucked inside his pockets coolly. Earlier I was wondering why he wasn't a baby anymore but then I remembered that at the end of the manga, the Arcobalenos' curse was removed and they went back to being normal. Normal in a way that they were still a baby when they went curse-free but they were already able to grow up.

At the foot of the throne, adult Lambo stood wearing a black suit as well, with a green button down inside and his horns were properly placed on both sides of his head. He was also looking at us like he was waiting. On the pillar carved with an elegant mosaic not too far from the throne, Hibari was leaning with his arms crossed and was also patiently waiting for what was about to happen.

A man in a black suit like the boss was also standing beside Reborn with a warm smile on his face. At first I wasn't able to recognize him but as we got nearer, I realized I was looking at a grown Basil.

Time seemed like flying and before I realized, I was already standing at the foot of the throne, looking up at Tsuna and his bright orange eyes.

Gokudera stood at the right side of the throne, taking his place as the right hand man. I remember him saying, "That bastard Hibari. His hate of being in a crowd is so annoying. Does he think he's superior?" before standing beside Tsuna. Yamamoto was standing at the foot of the throne as well together with Ryohei and Lambo.

Lambo's yawn pulled me out of my reverie.

"How long will this meeting take, Yamamoto-nii? I am invited to a party tonight, you know," Lambo said.

"Hmm? I don't know. But you'll get to your party, don't worry," Yamamoto said with a smile.

I nervously looked around me. Being surrounded by these people in formal clothing made me feel so small and unimportant in my dirty school uniform. I still think that I smelled so bad that day since I hadn't taken a bath yet after a long day in school.

Everyone was looking at me, like they were expecting me to do a head spin or something.

"I..." I started. I didn't even know why I even dared speaking in the first place. "I didn't do anything wrong..."

I thought I saw a small smile formed in Tsuna's lips which made my heart beat so fast. He really was my number one.

"I know," Tsuna said and his deep, adult voice took me by surprise. It was just like Vongola Primo's voice in the anime. Calm but you would definitely obey if that voice ordered you to do something. "Don't be so afraid, Akari."

 _Tsuna knows my name. I can now die peacefully._

"How did you know her, Judaime?" Gokudera asked.

Tsuna straightened from his seat and put his left hand on top of his crossed legs. Natsu, his pet lion, yawned from his side but continued sleeping nevertheless. "Reborn told me all about her."

I looked at Reborn who was still quietly standing there, regarding me with a dull but dangerous stare.

Reborn knew about me?

"It's just like what Mukuro told you," Reborn started. "The reason why Vongola is falling apart since Primo's time is because of the absence of a certain family member. A vital family member."

What Reborn said caught Hibari's attention because Hibari looked at him after minutes of closing his eyes. I even thought he was already sleeping.

"I don't get it, Reborn-san," Gokudera admitted. "Mukuro told us something about Dokuro not being the Elena of this generation. Who is this Elena?"

"Yeah. I extremely don't know any Elena," Ryohei seconded.

"You won't really know, Ryohei, since you were in Vindice's prison when Daemon Spade told us about her," Reborn said. "And Yamamoto and Gokudera were in Daemon's illusionary dimension during that time."

"But who is she?" Yamamoto asked.

"She was the light of Vongola in Primo's time," Tsuna answered. "She was Primo's friend and Daemon's lover at the same time. She was the reason why Daemon became a part of Vongola."

I knew all of that. I'd read the manga for, like, twenty times already. Cover to cover. Volume one to the last.

"When Vongola was at its strongest, Primo decided to pull out its military forces, believing that their interest of protecting the people and the innocents had been forgotten because of its growing power over the military," Reborn continued for us. "Daemon was against it since he believed that if Vongola still had its power, they would be able to keep the peace for the people. But Primo wouldn't listen to anyone and withdrew all their forces, and attracted numerous attacks from their enemies who saw that as an opening. Elena was killed in one of the ambushes. It caused Daemon's betrayal, leading to the misleading story of the first bosses of Vongola and Simon Family."

I remember all of that. I knew the story all too well. Daemon Spade, the first Mist Guardian of Vongola, wanted to make the family the strongest after not being able to protect his beloved Elena. He hated Primo's ways so he betrayed him by making Cozart Simon, the first boss of the Simon Family and Primo's best friend, go to war with only fifty members with him to face twenty thousand enemies. It led to the war between Tsuna with his guardians and Enma Kozato with the tenth Simon Guardians.

"Since then, Vongola ruled by fear, starting with Vongola Secondo," Reborn continued. "Vongola lost its original purpose and became something that makes people tremble just by hearing its name. Both Tsuna and Primo hated that but this generation is still unable to bring the family back to the way it used to be when it was built. The first family failed when Elena died and no other generation had someone like her. After she died, that was when Vongola changed entirely. It had always been six guardians and the boss. But the original Vongola family had eight core members. The boss and the seven guardians."

Everyone's eyes turned on me. I had a distant feeling of what this conversation would lead to and I wasn't liking it.

"That's not going to be me, right?" I said to clear the confusion that was possibly enveloping everyone else in the room. "I mean, I am not going to be the seventh guardian of the Tenth, am I?"

I looked at everyone's faces and I had seen either a scowl or a puzzled look.

"Are you refusing the generous offer of Judaime?" Gokudera hissed at me.

I made a step back as I got completely afraid of him. Gokudera was about to say something more but Tsuna gave him a silencing look.

"I am still against this, Judaime, Reborn-san," Gokudera mused. "We don't even know her. And a kid like her won't be much help."

"We won't know until she wears the ring," Reborn said which earned a lot of whispers from everyone aside from Hibari and Tsuna.

"What ring is it, Reborn-dono?" Basil asked.

"The eighth ring of Vongola which was long forgotten about and not any generation knew of other than the first. Primo kept it locked away in the depths of this castle. It was a bitter reminder of Elena's death which he indirectly caused. Elena used to wear it," Reborn explained further. "The ring of star."

I had to put my hand over my mouth to stifle my laugh. Hibari noticed it and glared at me so the silliness I had felt was quickly washed away and I had to straighten myself. I cleared my throat quietly and said, "Sure, naming the flames after the weathers is cool but star? That's so lame."

Everyone glared at me. Well, Tsuna didn't, at least. That was what's important.

"Alright. Katekyo Hitman Reborn is my favorite anime, okay? Like, my number one," I started explaining. "But this is just a dream. A very realistic dream, for that matter. It's not because I love you guys that I can be your guardian whatsoever. I cannot be in an anime. I am a real person. And also, I need to wake up now since my obaa-chan will surely get mad at me and I still have this cool new anime I am watching. But don't get me wrong, you guys are still my first love. Just... I can't be your seventh guardian. Okay?"

Silence. There was silence for about a minute until Reborn broke it with a sarcastic smirk.

"Nobody said you are going to be the seventh guardian yet, Akari," Reborn said and I felt offended. After my long speech, that's what I would be getting? "We still need to keep an eye on you."

Gokudera snickered but Yamamoto unexpectedly came to my rescue.

"Cut her some slack, Gokudera," Yamamoto said and turned to me. "Sorry, Akari. I thought you were a tourist earlier. But I don't get it. Why are you thinking we are animes?"

"Because you are?" I answered in a questioning tone. To try and hide my embarrassment, I positioned my chin up and acted like I wasn't really affected. "Well, anyway... that's good. Tell me, how did I even get here?"

"Parallel worlds," Reborn said. "You are from a parallel world, Akari. A world where we are existing but not on the same level as you."

I let that sink in for a minute or two. Then I realized, my dream was giving me a bunch of bullshit. "You're kidding, right?"

From inside his coat, Reborn pulled out his pistol and a dangerous light gleamed in his eyes. "I don't kid."

"Hey, Reborn. Don't scare her," Tsuna scolded then looked at me with an apologetic look in his eyes. "Sorry about that."

Reborn didn't listen and didn't put his gun away but he continued explaining. Anytime I would be pissing my skirt. I didn't want to die in a dream.

"Yuni had seen this forecoming," Reborn continued. "She had seen a great war between Vongola and another mafia family who would do everything to take us down. Yuni had seen a seventh guardian of Vongola ending it. It's inexorable but at least it can be stopped."

"So there will be another extreme fight coming," Ryohei pondered the idea in his head. He punched his right palm with his left fist and his eyes were glimmering. "Alright! Count me in to the extreme!"

Lambo whimpered and sat on the floor, holding his head on both sides. "I hate war. I just want to party."

"Calm down, Lambo," Yamamoto consoled. "Tsuna will not ask you to fight. He will never allow it. Right, Tsuna?"

Tsuna gave Lambo a warm smile. "Stand up, Lambo. You don't need to be afraid."

"Can I go now, Tsuna-nii?" Lambo asked as he stood up, though he was still shaking a bit. "I have a party and you know I never turn down an invitation."

Tsuna sighed and looked at Reborn. "He won't need to hear the rest of it, right?"

"Yeah. Go. A crybaby will just get in the way," Reborn said.

Lambo shot him daggers with his eyes. "Goodness, Reborn. You still think of me as a crybaby but someday, I'm gonna kill you."

"Be my guest," Reborn threw his pet Leon, a shape memory chameleon, into the air towards Lambo and it suddenly turned into that of a take-copter, the one that Doraemon used to fly, but Reborn's was green and not yellow.

The take-copter automatically attached itself on top of Lambo's head and without any warning, it dragged him out of the castle screaming. After a moment, the take-copter flew back without Lambo and landed on Reborn's waiting hand and turned into Leon the chameleon again.

"That aho-shi," Gokudera snickered.

"That looked fun!" Yamamoto exclaimed, laughing.

"What an extreme equipment," Ryohei remarked.

Tsuna sighed, Basil laughed awkwardly and Hibari just yawned. They hadn't changed at all.

"We asked Yuni about the seventh guardian but she didn't know whom it would be," Reborn added to the story he was narrating earlier. "All she knows is, the seventh guardian cannot be found here in this world. That is the reason why no other generation had a seventh guardian. That person is not supposed to be in this world."

"Then why did you choose the parallel world I was in? What made you choose me?" I asked. I was thinking that I might as well get all the information I could before waking up.

"In other worlds, it's either we are not existing or we don't know each other. Vongola doesn't exist but we do. Yours is the only world where we exist the way we really do but we are not people. It's better to have it that way so we won't have to explain it from the day I met Tsuna," Reborn answered.

I didn't know if I should laugh or what. He just didn't want to explain to somebody who wouldn't know a thing about them.

"How did you get ahold of a parallel world, anyway, Reborn-san?" Gokudera asked curiously.

"Yeah, how?" Ryohei asked. "Yamamoto and I had been scouting the allied lands for any other attacks from the enemies and Gokudera had been gathering information about them with Basil. Hibari was working on his own. We extremely didn't know anything happening here while we were away."

"Where had you been, Tsuna? I saw Gokudera picked you up earlier," Yamamoto asked.

"I went to the Gesso Family," Tsuna answered simply and maybe it was just me but the dying will flame on his forehead glowed brighter.

Everyone tensed just by hearing the name of Gesso Family.

"Gesso Family?" Gokudera asked, completely alarmed. "You mean... you went to Byakuran? Why didn't you tell me, Judaime?"

"Byakuran and his Gesso family are no longer enemies of Vongola," Tsuna said. "He was the one who lent us his knowledge about parallel worlds after he heard what Yuni told us about the existence of the seventh guardian. He suggested that the guardian could be from a parallel world, and Yuni confirmed it. He was the reason why we made it this far."

"Why did you listen to him, Judaime?" Gokudera asked, all worried. "He was an enemy! You cannot trust him!"

Tsuna sighed, like he already expected to hear this from his right hand man. "Yuni trusts him."

Gokudera was about to argue some more but I decided to cut him off. "Hey, hey, hey. You forgot to answer my question."

"What?!" Gokudera snarled but Tsuna silenced him again with just a simple look. I was liking the older Tsuna more and more.

I took a deep breath to gather my strength. This dream was stressing me. "Why did you choose me?"

Tsuna looked at me and in his bright orange eyes, I could see the many unspeakable things about the world. "Yuni saw the flame in you, Akari."


	3. Target 3

The next hour after that was awful.

Reborn concluded the small meeting, saying that was enough information for the day since that was all they were able to clarify so far. Any other details of the situation were still unclear including what the goal of the enemy was, who they were, where they were, and more importantly, what the purpose of that star-flame-whatever was.

I was herded to one of the guest rooms on the fourth storey of the castle's keep by Yamamoto and Basil whom I discovered was the new external advisor and the new boss of CEDEF as Iemitsu Sawada, Tsuna's father, retired to live peacefully in Japan with his wife and Tsuna's mother, Nana Sawada. CEDEF was an independent organization acting apart from Vongola but during special occassions, such as when choosing who was going to be the next boss, wars, or anything major to be decided for the family, they would get involved.

I tried asking Yamamoto and Basil how I would be going home as I couldn't be missing because my obaa-chan would go crazy but they couldn't answer me. They tried uselessly to avoid my question and tried telling me stories about the family after the ending of the manga. Yamamoto seemed particularly interested. He couldn't believe that in my world, they were fictional characters. He said that he couldn't begin to understand how or why but for him, it seemed to be a lot of fun. That was Yamamoto indeed for you.

They immediately left after asking me if I needed anything. I told them none, I just wanted to go home but the only answer they both gave me were sympathy in their eyes.

The room was considerably big and it looked like one from a five star hotel but it didn't do any good for my troubled mind. My body was screaming for the bed but I held myself from indulging the goodness of the luxurious place.

 _I don't belong here._

I stood beside the bed, facing the big window overlooking the garden where all of these craziness began. The sun had already set and the sky was very dark but it was illuminated by the glowing light of the stars.

"Flame of star, huh?" I muttered to myself.

 _I wonder what the flame of star's purpose is._

Suddenly, there was a soft knock on the door and as I turned around to face whoever it was, I was stunned to see Tsuna standing by the doorway.

"Did I disturb you?" he asked. The dying will flame was no longer visible but he wasn't the No Good Tsuna anymore. He had really changed. In the manga or in the anime, he would be back to the ordinary Tsuna when the dying will flame was not present but he didn't in that moment. I couldn't begin to fathom why my brain was able to conjure this dream. Tsuna's face and personality ten years into the future were never revealed in the anime nor in the manga yet there I was, standing before that very image of him.

Tsuna looked like the perfect mafia boss. The smile from his childhood whenever he was with his friends was no longer there. Instead, it was replaced by a brooding look and a pair of mysterious eyes. He no longer looked scared, but he looked like he had already faced the worst death before and wasn't afraid to escape from it again.

He looked invincible. And almost scary.

"No..." I had to take a deep breath before answering him. I was mesmerized by the man before me in a very, very dark way.

He let himself in, never taking his eyes off of mine. I should be thrilled, but I wasn't. I was just plainly confused. What happened? What turned him out this way? I wanted to ask but as silly as it might sound, I was afraid of him.

"Sorry for dragging you into this mess," he started. His tone was leveled but it wasn't really soothing. "I did my best to prevent anybody else from getting involved with this but... I couldn't control fate. This is fated to happen and I am very sorry for involving you."

"How to wake up from this dream?" I asked.

My question seemed to take him by surprise because the expression on his face changed a bit. I wasn't mad at him for dragging me to anything because I knew that a ridiculous dream could not hurt me in reality. My main concern was getting out of there. I already tried pinching, slapping, even punching myself, but to no avail. I couldn't wake up for some reason.

Tsuna gave me a sympathetic smile which hurt a lot. Somehow, I knew his answer already. "This is not a dream, Akari. You are really here."

I could feel the tears starting to well my eyelids. "My obaa-chan will look for me..."

He took a deep breath before giving me a look that said that he was about to admit a wrong thing he had done but he had to do since it was what's needed. "We took care of that."

Tsuna then went on to explain that they left a note for my obaa-chan, in the same handwriting that I have, to say that I went on vacation with my mother who lived overseas. He told me they did a research on me first, hence why they were able to duplicate my penmanship.

I felt too bad for my obaa-chan. My aunt would still be there to keep her company but I knew that she would still be worried about me as she was estranged with her daughter-in-law, which was my mother. My mother whom I wasn't able to meet my whole life. My father, Obaa-chan's son, had died before I was even born. Obaa-chan practically raised me together with my aunt.

"I'm very sorry, Akari," Tsuna finished. He looked like he wanted to say something more, I could feel that he wanted me to stop crying, but something was visibly holding him back. I could still remember how he would panic whenever Haru or Kyoko cried in front of him. But that day, he never attempted to stop my tears.

"Will I still be able to go back?" I asked.

Tsuna didn't nod but he pursed his lips before answering. "I promise."

I nodded. "Thank you."

"Dinner is in thirty minutes. You can join us in the dining pavillion but if you can't, I will just send somebody to bring your food here," he said, looking all ready to leave.

I felt sad. The Tsuna I knew would personally bring food to his subordinates. He did that to Chrome when they were brought to the future.

 _Chrome. Something has happened to Chrome!_

"Wa-Wait," I called since he had already turned his back on me. "What... What happened to Chrome? Gokudera asked Mukuro earlier about it."

Tsuna heaved a sigh and worry was etched on his face. That was only when I noticed that he looked so tired. "Chrome is missing. She was last seen with Mukuro."

"And...?" I pressed.

"We don't have any news about her. Mukuro wouldn't say a thing."

"Haven't you looked for her at all?"

Tsuna met my eyes again and I could tell he was a bit offended with my question. I felt the urge to apologize but he already opened his mouth and I had to hold myself back. "I-Pin, Fuuta and Bianchi are already looking for her for two weeks now. We're afraid that she may be captured by the enemies."

My chest tightened. Chrome was one of my favorite characters. I even dreamt of cosplaying her. "What's making you so worried if you're telling me she was last seen with Mukuro?"

"Chrome is refusing Mukuro's illusion to sustain her life, I'm sure you know that," Tsuna started to explain and he was right, I knew it since it was told in the manga. "Her powers are long gone and her illusion isn't permanent. She could die any moment."

The world stopped spinning for a second. Everything went still.

"Someone wanted to see you by the way," Tsuna broke the silence and went out of the room without another word.

I tried to process what he told me. I realized a lot had changed. Things that were unexpected had really happened after their story.

A moment later, a woman who had short dark hair and was dressed formally as well entered the room. At first I wasn't able to recognize her but as she got nearer, I realized I was looking at a grown Haru Miura. She grew into a fine woman.

"Hi," she greeted in a cheerful tone. I noticed that she was carrying a white paper bag on her right hand. "I'm Haru. Nice to meet you, Akari."

"H-Hi," I greeted back awkwardly. Truth was, I hated her character. I hated how she always interfered to things that didn't concern her and how she tried so hard even though it wasn't needed. I hated how it seemed like she wanted to be treated as an equal when in reality, she was just another burdensome heroine.

But that moment, I had to admit that all those negative thoughts I had about her disappeared.

"Haru brought you change of clothes," she said and handed me the paper bag with a warm smile. But she must have realized something because her cheeks flushed and she immediately cleared her throat. "I mean, I brought you change of clothes."

"Thank you," I accepted the offer reluctantly and took the bag from her. How much I had wanted to take a bath.

"That door is the adjoining bathroom. You can take a shower there," she said with a smile, pointing to the door by my right, then she nodded to the bed. "Why don't we take a seat?"

Haru had changed so much. She wasn't the airheaded girl anymore whom I so much despised.

We both sat on the edge of the bed facing each other. I felt embarrassed but I didn't know for what.

"I heard everything from Hayato-kun," she said.

 _Hayato-kun?_

I blinked so many times, trying to wrap my head around the idea of her calling Gokudera that way. Weren't they always fighting?

Haru blushed and held her cheek with one hand and waved the other in embarrassment. "Why are you looking at Haru like that?"

I might have made the same wacky face that Tsuna always pulled up whenever he was shocked or surprised by something so funny. I guess she hadn't changed totally. She still referred to herself in third person from time to time.

Then she cleared her throat again and tried to collect herself. "I mean, yes, I heard everything from him. I just arrived, you see. I was on vacation with my family in Vienna. He told me that you are from a parallel world and in your world, we are anime characters."

I had no idea why I couldn't stop a big smile from crawling its way to my lips. Hearing it from her made it sound like it was just another trivial thing. "Yeah..."

"What did Haru look like in the anime?" she asked and her eyes were full of interest.

"You looked exactly the same as you do now," I told her. "The best thing that I liked about your character is how you make wonderful costumes because I have no talent like that myself."

That was true. I was a frustrated cosplayer but I just couldn't make a good costume, even a simple school uniform. I just didn't have the artistic skills for that.

Haru blushed. "Really? Thank you! Come to think of it, in my childhood days, I never got to make a costume for an anime character!"

"You should try making a costume for a titan!" I suggested. "They're from this anime called Shingeki no Kyojin and they're the best creatures!"

"Really? What do they look like?"

"They're big and strong and invincible!"

"I think I may try to make a costume for that. It's been a long time since Haru has done any costume at all. Will you help me?"

"Of course I will!" I exclaimed. I decided right there and then that I liked Haru and regretted hating her character before.

She gave me a sweet smile. "Thank you."

"By the way, Haru-san, where is Kyoko?" I asked out of curiosity.

When Tsuna and the others were brought to the future, they fought with Nosaru and Tazaru. That was the time when the adult Haru and adult Kyoko were introduced. When Tsuna found adult Kyoko, she called him _'Tsu-kun'_ so I had always thought that they would be together when they grew up. I was assuming that Kyoko was also in the castle but Haru was there and Kyoko wasn't. They were best friends so they should have been together, right?

My question seemed to have given life to something which should not be talked about. Haru's face turned gloomy all of a sudden and she couldn't meet my eyes.

"Hey, Haru-san..." I called in a soft voice. "Where is... Kyoko-san?"

"Don't poke your nose into what's none of your business."

Both Haru and I were startled by that voice. We looked at the door where it came from and saw Gokudera leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed in front of him and a huge frown on his face.

Haru abruptly stood up and when I looked up at her, she was giving Gokudera a murderous look. "Hey, Hayato-kun. Didn't I tell you to stop being a bully especially to girls?"

Gokudera didn't seem to mind Haru's nagging and just simply said, "But--"

Haru didn't let him finish. "Apologize to Akari-chan immediately."

Gokudera looked so horrified with the idea of apologizing. Just what you would expect of the lone wolf who only opened up to Tsuna.

 _But maybe he's opened up to Haru now as well..._

When Haru didn't back down, Gokudera heaved a sigh and surrendered. "I will try to be nicer. Let's just go. Dinner is about ready," and he left.

Haru sighed as well and gave me an apologetic look. "Sorry about that, Akari-chan. Take a shower now and head to the dining pavillion after. We'd love to eat with you."

I was about to tell her that I wasn't hungry but she cut me off with a smile and left, closing the door behind her.

I was alone again with my thoughts.

Inside the paper bag was a black sweatshirt, a pair of shorts and a pair of sneakers. Haru had brought me just what I would want to wear.

The sky was still very dark and the only light was coming from the stars and the moon.

I couldn't tell why but it felt like I was looking at Tsuna as I stared at the sky. Well, he was the sky, alright, but that night sky seemed to mirror how Tsuna was now. Dark. Very dark.

From the western side of the sky was a huge incoming cloud which had already covered up some of the stars in that part of the sky. Maybe a storm was coming. I could see a lightning struck from the eastern side of the sky either.

I disregarded my thoughts and went inside the bathroom to shower. Maybe the water could wash away everything. Maybe it could even wake me up from this dream.


	4. Target 4

I was standing by the huge window, looking out at the sky covered with thick clouds. Any minute it would rain.

I was done showering but the cold water did nothing to wake me up from my dream.

Maybe I wasn't really dreaming, was I?

The door creaked open, startling me, and I spun around to see Yamamoto holding a tray of food. He gave an easy smile. "Yo. You didn't join us so I brought you your dinner."

I felt embarrassed of myself. How could I be so neglectful of their hospitality? Looking down, I said, "I'm not hungry. But... thanks."

"Now, now. Don't be shy," he said and placed the tray above the bedside table, just next to the lamp. "Haru was worried since you didn't come down. She specifically requested for Japanese cuisine to be prepared since you're here."

I felt my cheeks flush. How grateful I was for Haru. Aside from Yamamoto, she had only been the nicest person to me.

"Don't be so afraid of us, Akari," Yamamoto said to break the awkward silence and I had to look up at him because of that. "You know how we all are, right? Hibari's always been uptight and doesn't really get along with everyone but he will not harm you if you stay out of his way. Gokudera's always been so hot headed and suspicious especially when it comes to Tsuna's safety. The little kid's always been doing things he likes without a care in the world, so I know you understand why he brought out his gun earlier. Don't be afraid of them. No one will hurt you here."

Yamamoto gave me a light smile, like he was reassuring me that everything would be fine and I would be safe.

"Thank you, Yamamoto," I said in a low voice.

He laughed out loud which confused me at first but he immediately explained why. "I thought you're going to call me senpai or worse, niichan, but I'm glad you didn't."

"Umm... Why?" I couldn't help my own smile. He was really easy to get along with.

"You're supposed to be the strongest of all guardians, even stronger than Hibari, from what I understand. It would be awkward if you call me anything other than just my name, don't you think so?"

"No, no," I immediately countered. "I don't even know how to fight or anything. I can punch or kick, sure, but other than that, I'd just be plainly a burden."

"Don't say that," Yamamoto consoled and nodded to the food. "You should eat now. I know you're hungry. If you need anything, I'm just in the room at the end of the hall, okay? Jaa," and he left.

I had procastinated for over thirty minutes before my stomach gave in and let out a wild growl. I knew I had to eat or I wouldn't last. After finishing the curry, which tasted so delicious, I laid my back on the bed and stared at the immaculate white ceiling.

 _What would be of me now, Obaa-chan?_

I wish I could wake up. But how could I do that? I wasn't asleep. I wasn't even sleepy at all.

The rain started pouring. At first it was just a drizzle but suddenly it became a downpour. The lightning struck again. I had been right. There would be a storm.

I missed my bed. Sure, the bed of the castle was so comfortable and sleeping there appeared to be so fulfilling but still, it wasn't mine. It wasn't my room. My room might be small and not as beautiful as the castle's but still. I knew I didn't belong there.

Abruptly I got up from the bed and went outside the room. I was too careful to make any sound so nobody would see me. I was planning to escape. In this raging storm, surely nobody would notice. Maybe I just needed one lightning strike to get back to my senses and stop fantasizing about being in my favorite animes like what I'd always do. Maybe I just needed to be swept away with the unforgiving wind or be washed away with the storm. It would still be worth a shot.

I turned a corner, looking behind my shoulder to see if anybody had seen me. I kept creeping along the hallway until I bumped into a hard wall.

"Hmm. You seem to love bumping into me."

I looked up and gasped after finding out that it was Kyoya Hibari whom I bumped into. He was still in his suit and in his face was a dangerous smile.

"Where are you going, Akari Hoshino?"

I couldn't answer. I tried but I must have only made rubbish noise like, "ah-ek-ek-brr." I could never tell.

"Escaping, huh?" Hibari grinned maliciously. With his right hand, he brought out his tonfa and all of a sudden, he attacked me.

I thought I was done for but a miracle must have happened because I was able to somehow sense the incoming attack and dodged it with a huge step back. I had no idea how I had the reflexes to dodge it.

His eyes gleamed with interest. "Wow. As expected from the hope of the world."

"I'm sorry?" I asked. I didn't know why I felt a bit offended. Hope of the world? Me? Who couldn't even cook my own meals? He must be kidding me.

Hibari brought down his hand with the tonfa and stood straight. "No matter how bright the stars are, they have no use when they're covered up by the clouds."

I was at a loss for words. Was he threatening me?

"Here," with his other hand, he handed me a school bag. That was only when I noticed he was holding something. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was my school bag that I had already forgotten about but I was sure I left it in the garden of the castle when I arrived.

With trembling hands, I took my bag from him. I was about to say thanks but he turned his back on me already.

"Try not to die until I bite you to death," he said and started walking away. From out of nowhere, Hibird appeared singing the anthem of Namimori Middle High and landed on top of Hibari's left shoulder.

The lightning struck again which lit the sky so brightly. The image of Hibari's back and the sound of Hibird's singing were so creepy in a frightening way.

I stood there like an idiot until Hibari was gone.

What had just happened? Did Hibari really attack me and threaten me? I remembered what Yamamoto told me. He said that I was supposed to be the strongest, even stronger than Hibari. Was Hibari... competing against me?

The next morning, I woke up to find Reborn standing beside the bed and looking out the window. Today he wasn't wearing a coat but only a white button down, a black tie, and black suspenders. His face looked so dark because of his fedora hat. It was phenomenal to look at him, especially looking at his sideburns. Luche was right, those were really adorable and looked really great on him.

The sheets rustled when I sat up, catching Reborn's attention.

"You're going out today with Haru," he said without looking at me.

"Huh?" I couldn't think of any smarter response than that.

He turned his head and looked at me with a mischievous grin. "Chaos."

My cheeks must have turned red.

"Come down by the dining pavillion. We're having breakfast," and he left after that.

I didn't want to be treated like a princess so I decided that it's better to come join them for breakfast. It's not like they were really treating me that way but still, I didn't want to be served food everytime I would refuse to join them. So much for the "hope of the world", as what Hibari referred to it.

The dining pavillion was just another marvelous part of the castle. There was a long table that could sit a couple dozen of people and underneath was a red carpet with the same materials as the one from the great hall. There was another huge chandelier hanging above where the table was and butlers and maids in black suit were coming and going. They looked so busy with preparing the breakfast like there was a feast but there were only seven people in the room whom they were serving for.

On the right row of chairs sat Reborn, who was on the immediate left of the head seat, Yamamoto and then Ryohei. On the left row was Gokudera on the immediate right of the head seat, then Haru who had Lambo on her other side. Of course, Tsuna was on the head seat.

Everybody looked at me as I came except for Tsuna. He didn't bother to look up from what he was eating. He looked so deep in thoughts as he ate. Was he thinking about the ingredients used for that cuisine or what?

"Yo, Akari," Yamamoto greeted cheerfully. Like the others, except for Haru and Lambo, he was dressed in formal clothing again.

"Hey, Hoshino. Come seat here beside me," Ryohei offered and I nodded at him shyly in thanks before taking the seat next to him.

It felt like a dream to be sitting with the Vongola Family. A real mafia family. Well, I knew it was just a dream but I was starting to doubt my own sanity.

"We're going out later, Akari-chan," Haru beamed as one of the maids set a platter of foreign food in front of me. "Lambo's coming with us too."

"My, my, Haru-san. It's a man's duty to escort the ladies," Lambo said in his aloof dumb way.

"I told you to leave it for tomorrow," Gokudera told Haru in a low voice. "You know I can't come with you today. Basil and I are scheduled to visit the Cavallone family."

My ears rang at the sound of Cavallone. It was Dino's family, right? Oh, I wish I could see him!

"It's fine, Hayato-kun," Haru said. "Lambo and Akari-chan are with me so we'll be alright."

"Are you sure, Haru?" Yamamoto asked. "It's better to wait until Gokudera can come with you guys."

"Right," Ryohei agreed. "Neither Yamamoto nor I can accompany you. We are going to check with the townspeople here. It's extremely dangerous to go out while the enemies are still unknown to us."

Haru tried to protest but I kept quiet and just listened to everyone as I ate.

Reborn cut off what Haru was about to say. "It's fine. Haru and the others can go out today."

"Yes!" Haru exclaimed.

Gokudera looked genuinely worried and pissed off. "But, Reborn-san--"

Reborn cut him off as well with a simple and meaningful smile. I should have known that smile. Everytime he smiled like that, he knew something was about to happen and he had already planned something two steps ahead of it.

"If it's fine with the kid, then I'm okay with it," Yamamoto said, to which Ryohei agreed to.

"Besides, Lambo will be there to look after the girls. He's still a guardian after all," Reborn added with a suspicious gleam in his eyes.

Lambo looked so responsible all of a sudden and pleased with being recognized. "Of course, Reborn. I'm glad you're finally seeing me for what I'm worth."

"Stupid cow," Gokudera muttered which made Lambo make a disheartened face.

Reborn just answered it with the same smile like earlier. I was getting worried about what he was thinking of because he surely was.

Everyone started talking to themselves about random things. Gokudera was talking with Haru but Lambo kept interrupting so Gokudera had no choice but to be pissed off even more. Yamamoto was discussing about sports with Ryohei. That left Reborn, Tsuna and me in quiet moods.

Come to think of it, Tsuna has never uttered a single word since I came.

I tried to chance a subtle look at Tsuna. He looked so lost in thoughts. I wonder what he was thinking of. Looking at him that way made me so sad. He wasn't the Tsuna I knew of. He wasn't the nice guy that I had loved and admired ever since I was a kid. It felt like looking at a stranger.

The food tasted great but it felt like I was eating chalk.

Suddenly, Tsuna stood up with a simple "I'll go ahead" and left the dining pavillion. Gokudera immediately stood up to follow Tsuna, even calling out, "Judaime!"

Everyone was looking at Tsuna with sad eyes. Something had really happened with him and everyone was sympathizing. Oh, not everyone. Ryohei was looking at his boss but there was a storm of thoughts in his eyes. I was just beside him so I could easily tell.

Haru tried to brighten up everyone's mood by trying to make an effort for a small talk with each of us but judging by the way that Yamamoto, Ryohei and Lambo answered her questions and Reborn not joining in the conversation at all, I could tell that they were still uneasy and their minds were still with Tsuna and how he left us with only those words.

When breakfast was done, Haru told me to wait in my room for her which I dutifully did. When she came to fetch me, she was wearing a smile, like telling me that it's fine and everything would be alright, which I appreciated wholeheartedly.

We went out and on the driveway was a moss green car waiting for us. The window of the driver seat rolled down and Lambo waved at us.

"You sure he knows this stuff?" I asked Haru suspiciously.

She laughed. "Yep. You don't need to worry about it. Come on."

As I was about to close the door of the back seat, I noticed Hibari getting into the back seat as well of a dark purple car not too far from we were. The car sped away as soon as he got in. I wonder where he was headed to. I still felt shivers down my spine when I thought back to my encounter with him from last night.

Haru and I talked on the way to our destination, which she told me was just a mall where we would buy change of clothes for me and other things that I would need. I was torn between being grateful and being sad. All of them were thinking that I would be with them for a long period of time which only meant that I would be away from home for so long. My life would be taken away.

Lambo was sharing his own thoughts in the topics that he could relate to and I still couldn't see how the nosy but cute five year old kid Lambo grew into this young man. Adult Lambo would always try to act collected but he still hadn't gotten rid of his crybaby nature. But still, at first glance you would not really see the resemblance.

We stopped in front of a mall and once Lambo parked the car, all three of us got out.

"Are you sure it's alright to go outside with the enemies hot on Vongola's tail?" I asked Haru.

"It's fine, Akari-chan," she answered with so much enthusiasm. "This is not like when our enemies were the Millefiore. The enemies are attacking us in a way that some of our once allied families turn their backs on us for some reason that even Tsuna-san doesn't know. They cut off the alliance and would always try to take the lands governed by Vongola."

"Were they successful though?" I pressed.

"Tsuna-san is just worried about losing all the power that holds Vongola at the top because of the breaking ties with other families but nobody has successfully managed to take any part of the land yet. Tsuna-san is making sure of that," Haru ended her explanation with an assuring smile.

"But how come is Tsuna sure that these withdrawals are because of just one particular family?"

She shrugged. "Haru doesn't know. That's only what Hayato-kun told me."

"Oh," I just said.

"What are the lands governed by Vongola anyway?" Lambo asked all of a sudden, just as we entered the mall.

I shot him a hillarious look. "Are you for real, Lambo? You're a guardian and you don't know?"

"My, my, Akari-san," Lambo put his hand over his one eye, as if to brush his hair falling on that part of his face. "I am a guardian but I don't know anything about those things. Tsuna-nii will never include me in any meetings. I was surprised when I was invited yesterday. I guess that's because you're coming so they needed all guardians to be familiar with you."

I just shook my head at that. It must be hard for Lambo to be left out from important things like that. I remember the part in the manga where Lambo stated how he couldn't wait to grow up to catch up with Tsuna and the others to the world they live in. That was during adult Lambo's fight against Rauji Ooyama, Simon Family's mountain guardian. That was about the only part that I admired about Lambo. All his other appearances, whether as a kid or as an adult, just made me laugh or annoyed.

"Well, I don't mind it actually," Lambo added and yawned to his heart's content. "At least I can party all I want."

I think I would take back what I had just said. I never, for any instance, admired Lambo.

Haru and I just laughed.

We shopped for clothes, like what was planned, and all other things unnecessary that Haru and I just thought looked cute. Haru even bought me a heavy metal plate that has a pair of pig ears on one side. I wondered how that would exactly benefit me since the dishwares in the castle looked so fine enough. I didn't want to be the only one using a pink plate with pig ears.

Lambo carried all our shopping bags and he seemed not to enjoy any second of it. We decided to eat in one of the expensive restaurants in the mall who served the best blueberry cheesecake which was Haru's favorite.

Haru and I were sipping smoothies as we walked towards the mall's exit. We were about to go back to the castle and I was already itching to try on one of the new sweatshirts that Haru bought for me. It was a white one with prints of a lot of stars.

There was still one question bugging me though...

"Haru?" I called.

"Yep?"

"Umm, where's Kyoko?" I asked in a careful tone. Last night I had already wondered about that since it was really unusual to see Haru with the others but without Kyoko. They were best friends so it was really something to talk about.

Haru's enthusiasm toned down. "Kyoko-chan is--"

"Oh, Haru-san! Look at that!" Lambo exclaimed and grabbed Haru's hand and dragged her to one of the shops. I had no choice but to follow.

When we entered the shop, we found out it was not really a place to buy things but rather a playground for little kids to play in.

"You still have the kid spirit in you, Lambo-chan," Haru joked.

Lambo looked embarrassed. "That's not it. And don't call me Lambo-chan anymore, Haru-san. I'm already thirteen years old."

"Wait, thirteen?" I interrupted. "Aren't you supposed to be fifteen now, Lambo? It's ten years into the future now, right?"

"My, my, Akari-san. I don't know how you came to that conclusion but I am only thirteen right now."

I tried to mull that over my head as we headed out of the mall again. "The manga ended with the last fight between Vindice and the allied teams for the seven Arcobalenos, so... how many years have passed since?"

"Eight years," Lambo answered matter-of-factly.

So it wasn't ten years. I was only brought eight years into the future from when the series ended. It wasn't the Ten-Year Bazooka that brought me here. But why was that thing looked a lot like the infamous bazooka?

I was still pondering the idea inside my head when an explosion occured just behind the three of us. Lambo even lost his grip of all the shopping bags he was holding so they clattered around and we were all pushed down on the ground because of the impact. We just got outside of the mall and was only a few meters away from Lambo's car.

"What... What happened?" I asked.

"Haru doesn't know!" Haru exclaimed as Lambo started crying.

Another explosion occured again and we all screamed. People started running around in fear.

"Terrorist attack!" some even exclaimed.

"Lucky!" a voice suddenly said and it came from the direction of where our feet were, since we were all lying on the ground on our stomachs. "We caught a good prey. The guardian of lightning, Lambo."

Another voice laughed. "This kid will be enough of a bargain for the boss of Vongola."

I tensed. The attack was because of the enemies and they were going to use Lambo as bait or something. I could feel Lambo's shaking from beside me and Haru was also crying now as well. I was in between them.

Slowly, I craned my neck and looked over my shoulder as I tried to get up. Behind us were two big men who looked nothing but trouble. The bigger one had a nasty scar from above his left eyebrow all the way down his chin.

His eyes gleamed dangerously. "Our boss will be so glad."


	5. Target 5

I stood before the two men who attacked us and I could never understand why even Lambo was hiding behind me. Sure, Haru being scared to death was given, but Lambo too?

"How are we supposed to get out of here?" I asked nobody in particular.

"Haru is scared!" Haru declared, which wasn't really needed since it was so obvious.

"Hey, Lambo! Fight them! Use your Electricco Cornata!" I urged but Lambo adamantly refused and I realized it might be best for him not to fight. He was the target and if he used that attack against the enemies, there would be a lot of possibilities that were not in our favor. I wouldn't want to risk any of that.

"What do we do..." I muttered under my breath.

People were all in a wild panic. I heard somebody had already called the police but I wasn't entirely sure if the cops would be much help. I had already watched too many action/fantasy animes.

Suddenly, the bigger dude brought out a small metal stick which grew into a long javellin when he tossed it into the air. The javellin's tip was wickedly pointed. It looked like it could cut you with just a graze.

"Come out here now, Guardian of Lightning," the enemy taunted. "You won't like it when this thing striked your friends."

Lambo didn't say a word but his cry seemed to have gotten louder. It was so irritating to listen to.

The smaller dude brought out his own weapon which looked like a small metal ball, not any bigger than a baseball. In its center was a roundish symbol engraved in a meticulous manner but I wasn't really able to make out the details of it. He threw it to our direction and it landed just a few inches away from where Lambo was and it exploded. So it was the cause of the explosions earlier. We were thrown from our spot again for a couple of meters away.

We coughed the smoke we inhaled. It had a foul smell which made me want to puke the blueberry cheesecake I had just eaten.

"Got... to... hold... it..." Lambo recited his usual ridiculous mantra and started bawling. Honestly, I wouldn't even be giving the kid a second thought if I were the enemy.

"Akari-chan," Haru called me in a hoarse voice.

I gave her a fleeting glance and set my eyes back to our enemies again. I couldn't take any chances. "Yeah?"

"Sorry for dragging you out even though I knew it's dangerous," she said in between sobs.

"Don't be sorry, Haru-san. I had fun," I said. It was true, but I had a bigger problem at hand. How would I deal with these two goons?

"Reborn-chan gave me this earlier," she said and handed me a cylindrical tube which just fitted in my hand. "He said you can use this when an emergency comes."

The smoke cleared out already and I didn't have enough time to think about what that thing from Reborn was for. The smaller goon was already charging at us.

I thought, _"Fuck it, I don't want us to die here,"_ and I threw the damn thing at the goon.

The tube opened from the middle and the inside expanded into a net which immediately wrapped itself around the enemy. As soon as it touched his skin, he was electrocuted. Not a minute had passed and he was down already.

The bigger dude bellowed. It was obvious that he wasn't amazed with what we did.

"You stupid kids!" He raised his javellin and was all ready to throw it to us when I noticed that on the tip of his weapon, the roundish symbol from the other goon's explosive ball was also engraved. Maybe it was the symbol of their family.

"Is there anymore weapon that Reborn packed for us?!" I asked Haru in a panic.

"That's the only one!"

I regretted not using it against the bigger dude.

About a few inches away, I noticed the things we bought that we had already forgotten about since the attack. I saw the pink plate with pig ears that Haru bought for me which was just in an arm's reach.

I looked back at the enemy. He was now going to throw the javellin for real and without really thinking about it, I grabbed the plate and threw it to his direction like a frisbee with all my strength. It hit him in the stomach hard, to my own surprise since I didn't know I could throw that accurately. He lost grip of his weapon and fell to his one knee, clutching his stomach with one hand. It must have hurt like hell since it was a metal plate.

"Run!" I ordered and the three of us started running for our lives toward Lambo's parked car.

We were almost there but suddenly the javellin appeared in front of us. It was thrown from behind us and it missed hitting us by some awfully lucky chance.

"You can't run away," the goon said.

We looked back and confirmed our fear. The bigger goon was already back to his feet. We backed away but he just took a larger step toward us.

He gave us a crooked smile. "Just come with me, Guardian of Lightning, so I don't have to kill these two."

"No," Lambo refused and sniffed all the snot that must have already dripped from his nose.

The enemy gave us a deadly glare. "Then I have no choice but to kill--"

A tonfa suddenly came flying from nowhere and it hit the enemy straight to the side of his head.

We all looked behind us in surprise and found Hibari walking to our direction, like he had all the time in the world, with an equally wicked grin.

"The little animals keep coming out of their cages," he said and brought out his other tonfa which was immediately ignited with his purple cloud flame. "I shall bite you to death then."

The enemy brought out another of his javellins which were just a little stick from the start. "Well, if I'm not lucky. The Cloud Guardian shows himself as well. This is hitting two birds with one stone."

"You're so noisy," Hibari charged at the enemy and they exchanged hits one after the other. It wasn't really hard to see who had the upperhand. Hibari was not just biting the enemy, he was eating him.

Somebody suddenly put his arm around my shoulders and Lambo's. "Lambo-san, Haru-san, Akari-san, come on."

I couldn't tell why I wasn't at all surprised when I found out that it was Tetsuya Kusakabe, the vice president of Namimori Junior High's Disciplinary Comittee.

He gave us a hand and helped us stand up to our feet and ushered us toward Lambo's car. "Where are the keys, Lambo-san?"

"H-Here," Lambo struggled to get the keys out of his pocket with shaking hands and gave it to Kusakabe.

"Get into the car now. Kyo-san can handle this," Kusakabe told us as he opened the doors of the car for us.

Haru sat in the back seat and Lambo sat in the passenger seat. I slid next to Haru and I was glad to find that she wasn't crying anymore. Kusakabe took the wheel and sped out of the mall's parking lot. We even drove past Hibari's purple car on the way.

I was thinking that I knew what Reborn's smile was all about now.

It had been over an hour since we got back to the castle. I was alone in the room lent to me, thinking about what happened at the mall.

Everything seemed so real. Maybe I really have to accept that I am in their world now.

It must have felt so nice to have someone to console you. Gokudera immediately went back to the castle after he was told of what happened and went straight to Haru. I needed not to be told of what exactly they were now. Miracles do happen. Kusakabe stayed with Lambo to talk until he calmed down. As for me? I was alone, alright.

I was startled when I heard something fall on the floor with a loud thud. I whipped around to see what it was and I was shocked to find Hibari standing on the doorway and the shopping bags we got from our excursion were on the floor.

"Do I always have to fetch all your things for you, Hope of the World?" he asked with an irritated look in his eyes.

I was too shaken up and lonely to be scared. I marched to where he was and picked up the bags. "You didn't have to."

"Wow," was his only response. I looked up at him and he was wearing a malign grin. I didn't have any time to react because he left already.

I was alone again.

I had to admit that I felt good about Hibari being there. First, I was grateful to him for bringing our things back and for saving us earlier. Second, well, at least I had someone with me.

Then I got to wonder. Hibari never did anything without something in return. What exactly could he get from me? I had nothing.

I rummaged through the clothes and found the sweatshirt with star prints. I decided to have a bath. When I was done, I laid on the bed, facing the big window.

The storm from last night seemed unreal. The sky was so sunny and didn't have any trace of anything unpleasant. It was a good day.

I didn't realize I fell asleep.

I woke to the sound of knocking on the door and I rushed to get up when I found out that it was already night time. I opened the door in a haste and found Lambo there with a sheepish smile on his face.

"Hi, Akari-san."

"Hello?" I answered, unsure.

He looked down. "Sorry about earlier. I got so scared. I wasn't even able to protect you and Haru-san. So much for being a guardian, eh?"

"It's fine, Lambo. You were scared, and so were I," I said encouragingly. "The important thing is, we're safe, right?"

There was relief in his eyes when he looked up at me again. "Thank you."

"Sure."

"Oh. My, my. How did I forget?" Lambo said, shaking his head. He was already back to his usual self. "Tsuna-nii asked me to fetch you. He would like to have you in the meeting room."

That was a shocker. "What?"

Lambo shrugged. "I'm invited as well. Let's go now."

Reluctantly, and nervously, I followed him. I remember the reason I was there. Was it the time to discuss about it? But my primary concern was going back home...

We walked and walked through endless hallways, turning on every corner possible, going down on stairs I didn't know were there until we reached the meeting room. It was almost exactly like a replica of their meeting room in the underground basement of Vongola in the Future Arc, only better.

Everyone was there. Gokudera, Yamamoto, Ryohei, Basil and Tsuna. Hibari's absence was expected and understood already.

There were two seats left and Lambo and I took those. I was sitting face to face with Tsuna who was wearing a white button down with a black tie. The dying will flame wasn't there but his face seemed like it never knew how to smile.

"Everyone's here," Reborn said. He was standing on the corner, just beside the large screen which was situated behind Tsuna, Gokudera and Basil. "Tsuna, start now."

Tsuna set his brown eyes on me so I tensed. "This is about the attack earlier today by one of the enemies. Hibari-san had gathered some information about them. The people who attacked Lambo, Haru and Akari were from the Beccio Family."

 _Beccio? It sounds familiar._

"Is it one of the families from the time you went to Mafia Land?" I asked.

Tsuna nodded. "One of the families who led the militia on Mafia Land to victory from the Calcassa Family's attack. Now they have turned their backs on us like the Nero Family and Trad 6."

Nero Family was also from the Mafia Land militia and Trad 6, from what I could remember, was one of the families who were expected to come see the postponed Inheritance Ceremony.

"Hibari-dono retrieved this weapon from the fight earlier," Basil said and brought out the broken tip of the enemy's javellin. "This weapon had the same symbol as the ones that we had recovered from the previous attacks by the other enemy families."

"So that's why you're thinking there's only one family behind all of these?" I guessed.

Tsuna gave me an intent look which made me so nervous but eventually, he nodded.

I tried to examine the symbol on the weapon. It was a circle with a vertical line in the middle, like it divided the circle into two. There was one horizontal line on the right half of the circle which extended up to its inside line and another horizontal line on the left half which was a bit lower than the line on the right half. It was shorter as well since it didn't reach the inside line of the circle, only halfway through. It was really a simple design, with abstract detailing on random spots just to make it a bit more elaborate. But the lines were the most distinguishable part of it.

"It's one of the reasons, but it's not the only one," Tsuna said after noticing that I was staring at the symbol.

"This symbol is like a kid's drawing," Yamamoto remarked and laughed lightly.

"Baseball freak," Gokudera muttered from beside Tsuna, shaking his head.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, you're right," Ryohei agreed as he examined the symbol as well.

"Stupid muscle head," Gokudera muttered again and that second time, he sounded like he couldn't contain his annoyance anymore.

Basil looked like he didn't know how to react so he just laughed awkwardly.

Tsuna set both elbows on top of the table and put his hands together, as if he was already going to lay out the biggest plan. "Hibari-san told us about how you tried to defend yourself, Lambo and Haru earlier, Akari. He thinks he can train you so you will start your training with him tomorrow."

"Don't forget to add that Hibari said you looked so lame," Reborn interjected, causing Gokudera to stifle a laugh. I didn't know what to say, to be honest.

Oh, I did know. I wanted to say that I never agreed to any of it but I didn't know how to. I knew I would only embarrass myself in front of Tsuna. I would love to speak with him about this but I didn't know where to start.

"Gokudera-kun and Basil-kun went to the Cavallone Family earlier," Tsuna said, switching the topic so naturally. He looked at Gokudera, urging his right hand man to continue the report.

Gokudera's expression suddenly changed. From being plain to being worried. As if he was only holding back all his frustrations about what happened. "Basil and I were too late... As soon as we got there, we had noticed that the place was so quiet. Nobody opened the door of their mansion for us. We waited but we eventually entered as we had already suspected that something strange was going on."

My heart started hammering against my ribcage. Dino was one of my most favorite characters. If something happened to him, I'd be so sad.

"All of Dino-dono's men were dead inside," Basil continued, his tone and face grim.

Yamamoto, Ryohei, Lambo and myself were all shocked. Tsuna's face got darker than it already was. And Reborn looked so scary. He was still a kid but he looked like he could go straight to the enemies and annihilate them all by himself.

"We went further inside the mansion," Basil continued. "As we turned the corner to where Dino-dono's office was, we heard a familiar voice. We went straight inside and found Romario-dono lying on the floor with his blood spilling out of all the holes from all the bullets that he was shot with. He was still breathing, thankfully. Dino-dono was there, kneeling beside Romario-dono and crying. It was his voice that we heard. He was apologizing to Romario-dono and to everyone. When he saw us, he only said, "I was paralyzed. Romario covered for me and took all the bullets." We called Vongola's medical unit immediately."

"We recovered this bullet in the scene," Gokudera said and brought a used bullet on the table. It was a silver bullet and the same symbol of the enemy who attacked us was engraved to it as well. "This solidified our hunch that we are only facing one big and dangerous family here, though it's still unknown which family it was who attacked Dino and his men. All the weapons of the other families who attacked us in the past were all supplied by this bigger family in the shadows. It could be the real enemies themselves who attacked the Cavallone or just another small family at their clutches."

"What about Dino and Romario?" I asked. I wasn't interested in the enemy. I only wanted to know what Dino and his men's situation was.

"Romario-dono is still in the hospital and barely hanging on," Basil said, looking down. It was obvious that he didn't want to be the one answering this question. "Dino-dono was checked but he suffered no visible wounds. He wanted to stay in the hospital to look after Romario but Reborn-dono urged him to stay in the castle. He's in one of the rooms in the west wing's fifth storey."

"Nobody else... survived?" Yamamoto asked, extremely startled and horrified.

Gokudera nodded grimly. "Bono, Ivan, Brutus and Michael were all dead as well. Everyone else in the mansion was. We estimated a lost of at least a hundred of them. They were all in the higher ranks."

"This enemy is extremely dangerous," Ryohei said, his fists were shaking.

"Lambo-san is scared," Lambo said, losing his aloof character all of a sudden and going back to his five year old self once again.

Tsuna put down his arms from the table and squared his shoulders on his seat. He looked invincible and so reliable. "That is why we have to get to the root of this as soon as possible. We have to take the enemy down."

Nobody said a word, just looking at him with unexplainable eyes. I wouldn't deny that I was surprised to hear him say that.

Take the enemy down? The Tsuna I knew would only suggest to stop them. Not to kill them.

"Is that all for today, Tsuna?" Reborn asked to which Tsuna nodded to.

Reborn walked out of the room without a second word and without acknowledging anybody. The rest followed him. I stood up as well, about to go out of the meeting room already but Tsuna called me.

"Akari."

I looked back and saw him still sitting on his seat.

He nodded to the chair I was sitting on just a moment ago so I obeyed and sat again. His expression changed again, from being the man who declared that he would kill his enemies to just a simple and quiet boss. "Do you have anything to say to me?"

"Huh? N-No... Nothing," I answered, perplexed.

"Is there anything you want to object to?"

I felt scared of him. It felt like he was threatening me to object because he knew I couldn't.

Tsuna sighed subtly. "Is there anything you are not agreeing to?"

Now that was more like a question that the Tsuna I knew would ask.

"Can I not agree to being trained by Hibari?" I asked, and his eyebrows arched a bit. "I mean... he's so scary. I have no experience in fighting. I remember your training with him when you were brought to the future to battle Byakuran. How he almost killed you. How would I be able to put up with that?"

"I understand," Tsuna said after a small nod. "Hibari-san will try to kill you but he will not. He will drive you to the brink of death but he will teach you how to pull yourself away from it."

"That's not very helping..." I grumbled.

"I know," Tsuna agreed. "But he's the one who saw you fight. He's the only one who can dance with you in this."

I looked down and gripped the hem of my sweatshirt. "I don't want to fight, Tsuna... I mean, I can't do anything. How will I be able to help you guys? I want to, but I'm not sure if I can. In my world, I'm just a normal student who wishes to get out of that town and be free. It's weird how I feel so attached to you guys, how much I want to help you, but in reality, I don't even have any friends that I want to protect and help. I don't know..."

"You're right, it's weird," Tsuna agreed again. I looked at him and I had to stop a smile because I saw him sitting on his seat like a normal lazy person, as if he wanted to just use the chair as a bed. He was looking up at the ceiling, his elbows resting on the armrests and his hands clasped together above his stomach. "It's weird how I see myself in you."

"Huh? How? In what way?"

Tsuna craned his neck a bit and looked at me. "I didn't have any friends before too. And when I finally had them, I had this urge to protect them all. I also asked myself, how can I? I was just No Good Tsuna. But Reborn taught me that people can change. That I can be strong as long as I have these people that I want to protect. And you can do that too, Akari."

I was at a loss for words.

Tsuna looked up at the ceiling again. "We can be your friends."

My cheeks surely turned red when he looked at me again and I saw a small smile on his lips.

"I just want to thank you," he continued. "For protecting Haru and Lambo earlier. I don't want to apologize because I know it won't help anything. But I'm really thankful."

"I did nothing..." I said, looking down again. "It was Hibari."

"When this is all over, you will get back to your world," Tsuna said. "I promise."

That was the second time that he promised to me about bringing me back to my world. I believed in him but it wasn't enough.

"Go to the dining pavillion now," he said. "It's almost dinner time."

"And you?" I asked.

"I'll follow," he said and whirled his chair around, turning his back on me.

I stood there, watching his back, for about a minute before deciding to leave.


End file.
